Sort of Like the Movies
by HighWay2Expression
Summary: PLEASE R&R!Nicole & Jason (younger versions of Christian & Satine) want nothing to do with each other. But when they get invovled in the biggest scandle ever to hit their school, they find that their little game might be turning into something more...
1. How Do I look?

It was a cloudy mid-summer Thursday afternoon-the perfect kind of day to get lost in your thoughts and the smell of rain...  
  
Nicole walked out of the mall in a slight daze, not really paying attention to where she was going. It was strange; the parking lot was full but it seemed like not another person lingered there. It was unusually quiet, but that didn't bother Nicole. She sort of liked it. She continued to walk in the same daze until reality hit her like a brick wall, forcing her to come out of her own little world.In this case, reality was in the form of a boy.  
  
"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" she apologized to the person on the ground across from her.  
  
"Oh no, it was my fault," he replied. He stood up and offered her his hand. He helped her up as they lightly giggled about their little collision. "I wasn't watching where you-- where I was going," he quickly corrected himself.  
  
She laughed. "Why would you be?" she replied. She looked towards the sky,and he followed her gaze upward. "It looks like it's going to rain," she said. "It's so easy to loose your head on a day like today..." her voice trailed off.  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean..." he agreed. They stood there for a few moments, not remembering the bags and packages scattered on the ground. Suddenly the boy snapped out of it, and Nicole soon followed. "Let me help you with those," he said said as he picked up some of her bags. Still slightly shaken from the collision, they put everything back in their bags and he handed them back to Nicole.  
  
"Thanks," she said.  
  
"No problem. My name is Jason," he offered his hand out for a shake. Taking it, she smiled.  
  
"That's a nice name. Well, I guess I better be going. Thanks again, Jason." she said as she turned to walk away, but the boy put his hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Hold on!" He said. Normally, Nicole would have been put off by a complete stranger doing this, but there was something about him that made her wait to see what he would say next. "I didn't get your name," his voice then became a bit hushed, as would a young child's when unsure of what the other person's reaction would be.  
  
"I didn't give it," she smiled coyly. "It was nice meeting you, Jason." she turned to leave again, but the boy wasn't going to give up that easily. Nicole found it slightly amusing. It was like a game to her, playing hard to get.  
  
"Wait!" he called again. His voice again became hushed. "Will I see you again?" Almost immedietly he was taken aback by his comment and a confused look came on his face as if to ask himself "Where the heck did that come from?"  
  
Nicole laughed a little. "I don't know." she said with a smile. "Probably. What do you think?"  
  
The boy thought about the question for a minute, then his facial expression changed from inquizzetive to a hopeful, but slightly clueless one. After a moment, he spoke. "I'm not sure. Maybe," he said.  
  
"Well, I don't know. It's a small world, after all. Stranger things have happened. Anything is possible. I guess we'll just have to see," she said. "It was nice meeting you," she said with a smile as she turned away for the last time. When he didn't call after her to stop, she kept walking.  
  
The boy stood in the parking lot for a minute to let what just happened register and absorb, but didn't dwell on it. He let it go and just kept walking as if nothing had ever happened. In their minds, they thought that it was probably the last they would ever see of each other,but someone else had a different idea...  
  
**********************************************  
  
School had only been in session for a couple of weeks and already Nicole had a reputation. She pondered this as she looked in the mirror at 5:30 a.m. She always woke up an hour before she really had to, especially when she was going to be seen in public. School was no exception.She inherited this early bird quality from her mom. She had grown to like the extra time and the sunrises that came with the early morning. She would often sit on her window seat and draw the sunrises or take pictures of them with her camera. She had an extensive collection of mirrors and frames on her walls, and she would fill the frames with drawings and photographs. After about 3 years of doing this, she had become pretty skilled with a pencil or a lense. Her hand had become steady, which made her a pro when it came to applying make up. Even though her look almost never changed, she still managed to look stunning when she arrived at school in the morning.   
  
Walking over to the closet, Nicole picked out an awesome vintage style Mudd t-shirt and matched it with her best pair of jeans. It was a mix of golden hues and looked awesome with her naturally wavy brown and blonde highlighted hair. It had a tie at the neck and the hems were ruffled. She studied the outfit for a moment and looked in confusion. What had that girl meant when she said that she was probably "experienced" and it was no wonder that all the guys liked her? She couldn't figure it out. She didn't look slutty, and as far as she knew, she didn't act like one. It bothered her that anyone could even think that about her, no less say that. She walked over to the floor length mirror and studied herself another time. Nope. Nothing she was wearing was in the least bit flashy; in fact, she had been shooting for the vintage look. Nothing was showing; there was nothing suggestive about the person staring back at her. Was it just her? Or did people see something else when they looked at her? Whatever it was, she didn't see it.   
  
Nicole hopped down the stairs to the kitchen and sat down on one of the high stools at the island (not really an island, that's just what they called thecounter in the middle of the kitchen floor). Her mom was making a full-fledged breakfast- bacon, eggs, toast, pancakes fruit, cereal etc. The whole enchilada.   
  
"Mom?" she stuttered. "Am I... I mean do you think I'm... what I mean to say is... Do I look ... suggestive to you?" she spit the last part out. She knew that if something looked trashy, her mom would be the first to point it out.  
  
Her mom looked up inquizzitively at her daughter. She studied her for about 2 minutes and after a long pause she said "No honey. Not at all. Why do you ask? You look very stylish to me."  
  
"Oh, I don't know. Just checking I guess." Nicole knew she could trust her mom on this one. Her mom didn't always have the best sense in everything, but when it came to fashion, her mom knew best. She wasn't like most moms, that was for sure. Most teenagers can't stand when their parents buy clothes for them, and she couldn't blame them. Most of the stuff her friends' moms' picked out looked like they were from the maternity ward- everything covered them down to their ankles, and not a shred of skin was left exposed. But her mom wasn't like that. Her mom knew how to shop. She knew all about how to look like a knock-out while still being modest. She had tips on how to make everything look model quality with out designer price. She always got the coolest thing for a fraction of what most people paid. It had even gotten to the point where her friends wanted her mom to shop for them! In fact, the top she was wearing right then was the top her mom picked out and got for 80% off at Kohls. Her mom may have been 47, but she didn't look a day older than 35. So when her mom said she looked good, she knew she looked good.  
  
  
  
***************************************  
  
Nicole walked down the street towards the bus stop where her friend Stephanie was waiting.   
  
Hair? No.  
  
Clothes- definetly not.  
  
Make up- Uh-uh.  
  
Was it because she was a cheerleader? Why would that matter? She continued to check herself over quietly.As she approached the bus stop, Steph greeted her.  
  
"Hey, mi amiga, que pasa?" Stephanie was in this habit of speaking spanglish. She only spoke a little spanish, so she figured spanglish was the next best thing.  
  
"Steph? Do you think I'm a slut?" Nicole asked candidly.   
  
"Hmmm... I don't think so..." she said looking her friend over. "Doesn't look like it to me...why?" Nicole preceeded to tell her firend of what she had overheard on the bus the day before.   
  
"Is it your hair?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"Is it because you're a cheerleader?"  
  
"Could be..."  
  
"Your make up?"  
  
"I hardly wear any, and besides, I've been wearing the same makeup since like the 7th grade and no one ever said anything before," they went over on the bus ride. Still with no answer, they approached the doors of Chapelfeild high, and entered. Their other friend Allisa was waiting for them by the lockers. They needed another opinion, and it was a perfect oppertunity to get one. They could always count on Allison to honest. Not to say that she never lied, but her nose flared whenever she wasn't telling the truth.  
  
"Ally? Do you think Nicole's a *slut*?" Stephanie whispered the last part, but still everyone in the hall stopped and stared.   
  
"Go on!On your way," Nicole shooed them away.   
  
"Now, back to business, do you?"  
  
"No! Not at all!" she yelled, appalled at the very thought. When the two other friends explained to her what had happened on the bus, Ally just looked confused at why someone would say that.  
  
"Eww! Why would anyone think that?" she asked. Just as the words left her lips, Tad Johnson walked by and waved to Nicole.  
  
"Duty calls," Nicole said and then caught up with him. Ally and Stephanie looked at each other and then they realized it.  
  
Oh. That's why. 


	2. Overheard

Jason day dreamed as he sat on the bus Thursday morning. He was strangely alert this morning, and he didn't know why.   
  
He had never been much of a morning person, and usually used the morning ride to catch up on homework  
  
or sleep. But today was different; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get his eyes to stay closed.  
  
So instead, he took out a pen and pad and started to jot down ideas for his newest article in the   
  
school newspaper. The school had 2 different papers, one for the upperclassman and one for the lower  
  
classman, and he was the star reporter for the freshman paper. It was a strange set up this year.   
  
For some reason, none of the sophmores wanted to work on the paper with a bunch of freshmans, and   
  
seniors had actually been reading the freshman paper. Whether it was out of mock and scorn or out  
  
of a sense of responsibilty because they had oce been that young, no one could figure out. But for   
  
whatever reason it was, they were reading. Working on the paper was no longer a game as it used to be  
  
in middle school; now it was like a job- a career- a big deal. "Maybe they are geniunley interested,"  
  
his friend Dan had suggested, but the idea was immedietly dismissed.   
  
Jason's closest friends also worked on the paper. His friend Andrew was an illustrator, his   
  
friend Dan was the technical advisor, and his other friend Steven was the head honcho. He oversaw  
  
everything that had to do with the paper. Jason thought about Steven's words at the meeting yesterday.  
  
"This is not a game anymore!" he lectured. "Before now, everything we have done has been  
  
baby stuff! We are in highschool now! No more stories on hard tests or bad lunch meat! I want the   
  
hard core stuff! Gossip! News! The tough stories that no one else can get! I don't care if you  
  
need to climb in a dumpster, spy, eavesdrop, or steal notes! Do it! Like it! Because you will get   
  
your story! and it will be top quality! Not OK, not good, not even great! I want awesome, out of   
  
this world, extra-ordinary stories! Got it? Good! I need a hotdog," he sounded more like a drill sergent  
  
than a 14 year old highschool newspaper manager. "I"ll be back in 20 minutes! And when I get back,  
  
I want this paper filled with ideas!" he commanded as he left the room.  
  
Andrew looked at the other two boys blankly after Steven left. After a minute he went "It's  
  
called eavesdropping?" he asked as if it was the only part of the speech he had heard. "I thought  
  
it was called EASE-dropping." *End of flashback.  
  
Now that he thought about it, that's what he thought it was too. It was sort of a random   
  
thought.  
  
Jason stared at his blank pad. Nothing. Nada. Zip. No marks, no words. Steven wasn't going  
  
to be happy about that. Jason ALWAYS has a story. And when he didn't, it seemed like it was some  
  
sort of omen. Just as he was about to put he pad away, something from behind him caught his   
  
attention.   
  
"Hey Lisa? Did you hear about that girl Nicole?" some one said from the seat behind him.   
  
Normally he would never have stooped so low as to eavesdrop, but he had to have a story if he  
  
didn't want to hear the whole lecture all over again. He listened closer.  
  
"No, what about her?" another voice replied.  
  
"She just broke up with that guy, Brian Smith."  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"Well, I heard that the whole thing was an act. They weren't really going out. Word is, she  
  
was doing him a favor," the girl informed her friend. "Tallia said that they made a deal that she  
  
would go out with him to make that girl Kristina jealous."  
  
"Did it work?"  
  
"Yeah! He's had a crush on her forever, and now they are going out."  
  
"Wow."   
  
Hmmm... this was getting good.But what does a girl like Nicole get out of being seen with a guy  
  
like Brian?  
  
"But what does a girl like Nicole get out of being seen with a guy  
  
like Brian?" the other girl asked the same question he was thinking.  
  
"He pays her, plus it gets her off those really annoying persistant guys' radar,"  
  
"And now she is going out with that guy Tad Johnson, and he's a Junior!" Interesting...  
  
"Yeah, she's been getting attention from even the senior guys. She's probably expierienced  
  
if you know what I mean. Yeah, it's no wonder all the guys like her,"   
  
"Yeah, but word is that is just a favor also. And since Tad is really popular, she's going up in   
  
status too.But it is supposed to be a big secret, but don't tell anyone I told,"   
  
End of conversation, or at least thats the last Jason heard before the girls went on to talk   
  
about the newest episode of the O.C. and the best nail polish out in the market.  
  
Hmmm... he thought. He had his story. He quickly wrote down the entire converstaion and put  
  
the pad away. "I feel better now," he sighed as he sat back with a mischeivious smile spanning  
  
across his entire face. 


	3. How It Happened

Later that day, Nicole met up with her friends. They sat at their usual table at the center   
  
of the room, which seemed to represent their power. No one could really figure out how they became  
  
so popular so quick. They were freshmans, the lowest of the highschool species, but they were already   
  
the most talked about girls in school- or at least Nicole was. Because of her, they got invited to  
  
all the senior parties and hung out with all the older guys. It was truely the 8th wonder of the  
  
world- aside from the invention of toaster pizzas.  
  
"We've found it out!" Stephanie announced proudly. "We have finally figured it out!"  
  
"Figured out what?" Nicole asked, confusion evident in her voice. Clearly she had forgotten.  
  
"The answer to your problem," Ally stated. Nicole still looked out of the loop, so she went  
  
on. "Ashley heard from Tina who heard from Sarah that Tiffany S. and Amber T. found out about your   
  
little "service" and were talking about it on the bus yesterday morning. Luckily no one else heard--  
  
I think," she informed her friend. A light went off in Nicole's brain.  
  
"Ohhh!" her voice went from relieved to serious. "How did they find out about that?"   
  
"Appearently Brian Johnson told all his friends about your...eh... 'service' and they are   
  
lining up for as soon as you're done with Tad." Stephanie replied.  
  
"Ugh... service. It makes it sound so dirty. Nicole said in slight disgust. It wasn't though;  
  
at least it didn't start out that way. It had all started in the summer, a couple of weeks before  
  
school went into session. She and a good friend had watched this movie about a girl who prentended  
  
to go out with soem guys for money. It wasn't that great of a movie, but that was besides the point.  
  
They had been fooling around and he said "Hey Nicole! You would be really good at that!" as a joke, of   
  
course. But later when Brian Johnson's girlfriend broke up with him, Nicole offered to go out with  
  
him to make her jealous. She never would have agreed to it anyway if he hadn't of followed her  
  
around for 3 days begging her to do so. And it worked too-- Brian was back with his girlfriend  
  
in a matter of a week. It was sort of funny; she had made Kristina Chapman so jealous that she   
  
wanted Brian back by Saturday.   
  
They had everyone convinced that they were going out. Only the innermost members of their groups   
  
knew that it was all a hoax. They even had the teachers fooled.  
  
When the whole thing was over, her science and literature teachers came up to her to offer her their  
  
sympathy. "We heard about what happened," they said. "Don't worry. There are plenty of guys who   
  
would be honored to go out with you." This made her laugh. She wasn't sad at all-- the plan had   
  
worked, and she got $15 dollars out of it. What more could she ask for?  
  
It did seem a bit manipulative; playing off other people's emotions and natural weaknesses  
  
for monetary profit and gain. But Nicole was short on cash, and this gig payed well. And it really  
  
sounded worse than it actually was. Plus, with the way things worked, the whole thing was forgotten  
  
by Monday. But Brian still winks at her everytime he passes her in the hall- Kristina unknowingly  
  
snickering at her at the same time. Since then, she had 4 "clients", and it seemed that she was  
  
never short on cash. And for as long as no one else found out, she was living the high life--  
  
well, at least as high of a life can be when your 14 years old. But if anyone important did find out,  
  
she faced suspension and possibly expellation. But she wasn't going to think about that right now.  
  
"Well, you know they won't tell anyone. They're too snotty to converse with anyone but seniors   
  
and guys with cars. That excludes teachers, parents, and anyone who has ever shopped anywhere  
  
but Macy's and Wet Seal... which is basically our entire school--- so you're good." Stephanie  
  
ended right before the bell rang. 


	4. The Story of The Century

Jason entered the newsroom with a devious smile as he threw his pad on the table. Everyone   
  
stopped what they were doing, knowing that what he was about to say would be good. His eyes were  
  
wider than his sockets and he looked as if he was about to explode at any moment.   
  
"I have it!" he yelled as he threw his hands up. "I have THE biggest story in the history   
  
of our existance!" Everyone put down their projects and turned to him in anticipation of what he'd  
  
say next. They could tell it was important by the way he pronounced the "E" in THE so that it sounded  
  
like "thee". Steven sat in his chair looking truely professional even though he was dying to hear   
  
what his star reporter had to tell him.   
  
"The biggest scandle in the history of our school is unfolding and I have it on paper."   
  
Steven grew extremely interested and and moved his chair up closer so he wouldn't miss a single   
  
word like a child listening to their grandfather tell a story.  
  
Jason walked around the chair as he went on. "I'm going to write the expose* of the century on  
  
Nicole Edwards!"  
  
Everyone's eyes grew narrow. "Who's that?" Andrew dared to ask.  
  
"She's one of the most popular girls in school, but she's only a freshman?"  
  
Steven stood up. "So?" Steven asked, the enthusiasm draining from his voice.  
  
"SO no one knows how she got to this status! It's unheard of for a freshman to have higher  
  
status than most seniors, but some how she does," he waited for someone to say something. Steven   
  
thought that his friend had finally snapped. "Jay, buddy, pal, not to be rude or anything," he said   
  
as he placed his arm around his friend's shoulder. Suddenly his voice grew loud, "BUT WHAT KIND OF   
  
CRAP IS THAT?" he yelled at his friend. "I CAN'T PRINT A DULL STORY LIKE THAT! ARE YOU CRAZY? DO I  
  
HAVE TO LECTURE YOU ALL OVER AGAIN?" by now he was shaking Jason violently.   
  
"NO!" everyone yelled in unison.  
  
"CALM DOWN!" he slapped Steven. "That's not the story dumbass!" A releaved look came on   
  
Steven's face. "Oh," he said and sat back down.  
  
"ANYWAY--I've been going around all day digging up info on the little tramp and you wouldn't  
  
believe what I found," Jason paused, and everyone was on the edge of their seat.  
  
"GO ON WITH IT ALREADY!" they again screamed in unison.  
  
"I found out," he continued, "that Ms. Edwards is running her very own business."   
  
"What kind of business?" Andrew asked so that Steven wouldn't try to strangle Jason again.  
  
Jason's expression turned quite devious.   
  
"GUYS COME UP TO HER and offer her money so that she will pretend to go out with them. From  
  
there, she does WHATEVER they want until they are either satisfied or the contract is up, so to  
  
speak."  
  
Steven's eyes grew wide as his mouth hung open.  
  
Jason continued. "She's had 4 previous clients-- all seniors and juniors--- and one current client-  
  
also a senior."   
  
"That's brilliant!" Steven managed to get out. "I knew I could count on my star reporter to  
  
make me proud!" 


	5. Smart One

The next day, Jason searched around the halls after school for Nicole. There was a surprising number of   
  
kids lingering and loitering; you'd think that because of all the complaining they do about school  
  
during class that they'd leave as soon as they had a chance, but they stayed to talk none the less. Most   
  
figured that they would catch the late bus home, but Jason had found out that Nicole stayed after  
  
school for drama club, so he kept on walking. He had been in all the 1st floor classes and offices,  
  
up the stairs, in the yard, in the gym, all the way up to the 2nd floor , down the stairs again,   
  
back on the first floor, and then all the way back to the 2nd floor. He ran up the stairs,  
  
and when he reached the top, he almost collapsed. He waited a moment to catch his   
  
breath, and then he opened the door, smacking himself in the head. He looked around, making sure   
  
no one has seen, and when the coast was clear, he turned the corner. And that was when he saw   
  
her. She had just walked out of the drama room,*the drama room! Duh, that's the first place I   
  
should have looked! AARGH!!!* he thought. Her blonde hair swayed as she walked; she was so beautiful.  
  
He realized that he had never looked at her, I mean REALLY looked at her before. 'Wow,' he thought.   
  
"She's-------" he stopped himself. He had a girlfriend already. Oh yeah. A feeling of slight regret  
  
came over him, but he slapped himself. No, he wouldn't even let himself think of any girl besides  
  
Lisa. No way. It was sort of a shame though.  
  
Nicole smiled and again felt a strange feeling.It was like a punch in the stomach, but he   
  
sort of liked it. He went to walk toward her, but suddenly he just froze.  
  
'What's the matter with me? She's just a girl... no one special. And she's not Lisa. So get over  
  
it. Come on, get going. What Would Steven Do?' He looked at his wrist. At the first meeting they   
  
had ever had, Steven had made them bracelets that read 'What Would Steven Do?' to remind mind   
  
them of their "commitment to the paper", as he had said. They thought he was joking--- they were   
  
wrong. 'Weird...' Jason thought, and then snapped himself back into reality.  
  
He finally started to approach the spot where Nicole and her friends stood talking to each   
  
other. He went over what he planned to do-- he had practiced it many times this morning in front of   
  
the mirror. He would wait until she had her books in her hands, and as she turned, he would   
  
"accidently" walk into her. He'd put his sorriest face on, and then as he helped her with the  
  
books, he'd put on the signiture smile that could get him any the girl he could ever wanted,   
  
and then some. It was a little known fact, but the same seemingly shy boy with the clear  
  
light-brown eyes and the innocent smile had another side to him. He could become the sort of  
  
ladies-man, man's-man, man around town player type that you always see in the movies in nothing   
  
flat. He was sort of a Catcher Block type character from the movie "Down with Love." No wonder that was who he   
  
was rooting for in the battle of the sexes movie(His sister had made him watch it, it wasn't  
  
his fault). He even bared a remarkable resemblance to Ewan McGregor.  
  
One flash of that irresistable smile and any girl in a 3 mile radius would go weak in the   
  
knees. That was how he got himself his current girl, Lisa Jones. She was a classic beauty, with  
  
blonde hair, blue eyes; she kind of reminded him of Marilan Monroe.   
  
Jason approached Nicole.'11 feet and closing,' he thought to himself. He counted down.  
  
"10...8...6...4...3...1..." and............ BOOM. 


	6. 10 Feet and Closing

BOOM. Books and papers flew out of Nicole's arms and onto the hall floor.   
  
'Oooh, that was a good one,' Christian thought.  
  
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed, very convincingly. All that time practicing in the  
  
mirror had payed off.   
  
"Oh no, It was my fault," she said as she leaned down to retrieve her things off the floor.   
  
"No, allow me," he said smoothly as he gave her a glimpse of his mezmorizing smile.   
  
He would wait until the very end to show her the whole thing. It was all about timing. He collected   
  
everything into a little pile, and handed it to Nicole.   
  
"Um...o-ok..." she managed to say in amazement.   
  
Stephanie and Ally could only watch in awe. Not because he was so handsome (although they noticed  
  
this) but because he was so polite and did not just mutter 'Sorry' and walk off.   
  
Jason noticed Nicole's Michelle Branch Cd on the floor and picked it up.   
  
"Michelle Branch huh?" he asked turning the case over to look at the song list.   
  
This was perfect- if he shared a common interest with her, it was just another thing to get her   
  
hooked.   
  
"She's one of my favorites, I really like track 6." he said as he handed it to her.   
  
She took it from him and said, still in shock, "Uh, yeah, me too. It's my favorite."   
  
Jason stood up and stuck out his hand. Nicole looked as if she didn't know what to do with  
  
it, but stuck hers out to meet his in a shake. As soon as they made contact, Nicole got a chill  
  
down her spine, but she didn't know why. He looked vaugely familiar, but she didn't know where  
  
she knew him from. Realizing she was still shaking his hand, she quickly let go. Jason knew his  
  
plan was working. In a few moments, she'd be hooked. Phase 1 was almost complete.   
  
"Oh! Forgive me for not asking! Are you alright? I walked straight into you," he said as   
  
sweetly as possible. "I'm sorry, I'm so embarrased," he said, strategicly looking away like a shy  
  
child. Nicole started to melt.  
  
"Oh, no, It was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going," she tried convince him.   
  
"It wasn't your fault. I'm fine anyway."  
  
"Oh no, It's never the ladies fault," he said. She looked at him again in awe. No one  
  
she had ever met was this polite, and he was a guy, which made it all the more amazing.  
  
"I'm sorry, I have to go. It's my mother's birthday, and I have to pick up her flowers.   
  
Again, I'm sorry." he said. "Perhaps I'll see you tomorrow,..." he hesistated.  
  
"Nicole," she filled in for him.  
  
"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow, Nicole," Now he'd turn to walk away, and if she called after   
  
him saying "I'll see you tomorrow!" he'd know she was hooked.   
  
Half way down the hall, he started to count down. "five...four...three..." It was coming.  
  
"two.......one." Sure enough, before he could even finish "one" she called after him.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow!" he heard escape from her lips. He turned around to look at her.   
  
Now it was time. He tipped his head and smiled. It would seem that something as simple as a smile  
  
would make a rat's tail of a difference, but this was no ordinary smile. He turned back around  
  
and entered the stairwell on the right. Phase one was officially complete.  
  
Nicole stood there, still as stone with wide eyes and an open mouth. Her friends stared   
  
in awe with her.   
  
"What just happened?" Nicole finally asked, still staring at the stairwell entrance.  
  
"I think you just ran into an angel," Stephanie said, still gazing in the same direction as Nicole  
  
and Ally.  
  
"No," Ally said. "Something even rarer," she and Stephanie looked at each other. "A gentleman."  
  
After a few more minutes of staring, Stephanie broke the silence. "Oh crap! We're going to miss  
  
the bus!" she realized. Nicole finally broke her gaze and shakenly came back to reality.   
  
"Yeah, let's go." she said. The three friends walked down the hall toward the stairway on the left.  
  
As they entered the stairwell, Ally asked, "But how did he know track six was your favorite?"  
  
  
  
*******************************  
  
A minute later, four heads popped out of the stairwell. Making sure the coast was clear,  
  
the four boys emerged.   
  
"That was awesome!" Steven exclaimed.  
  
"You should get an Academy award for that performance!" Andrew marveled.  
  
"Thank you, thank you. All in a day's work," he replied acting modest. "I was good though  
  
wasn't I?" So much for that.  
  
"Yeah! But how did you know that track six was her favorite?" Dan wanted to know.  
  
"I didn't. I just picked it because it was an even number," he revealed. "I haven't  
  
even heard the CD before, no less the song."  
  
"But Dan," Steven turned towards him. "Your going to have to burn it for him so in case it ever   
  
comes up, he'll know the songs. We can't afford any mess ups due to carelessness alright?"  
  
"I'll have it for you by tomorrow. My sister has the CD anyway." Dan replied.  
  
"Ah," Steven sighed. "This is going to be the greatest story ever! Tell you what,  
  
I'm in a good mood. In honor of Jason's success, let's go to Stewarts. Milkshakes for all, my  
  
treat!" Steven offered. The boys stared at him in blissful awe. This was great! First the story,  
  
now Ice cream. Steven never payed for anyone else ever in his entire life. This was better than  
  
they thought!  
  
"Jase! You're awesome! You got Nicole hooked and now you got Steven paying for our milkshakes!  
  
This is great!" Andrew exclaimed as he turned and went with the others down the stairs.  
  
Jason was the last to leave. There was just something about her; something familiar, but  
  
he didn't dwell it. After a few seconds he ran down after them.  
  
Phase one was complete. His friends were happy and the paper would be even better than it   
  
had ever been, thanks to him. He had Nicole hooked.   
  
But little did he know that as his story went on, he'd be the one getting exposed. 


	7. No Way

"So what you'll do is you'll become all buddy- buddy with her, but make it seem like you're  
  
not interested in her in that way. Make it seem like you never thought about it. Get her to tell   
  
you everything about her. Then after you get all close, tell her that your girlfriend broke up with  
  
you, but don't ask her for a favor," Steven said as he stuffed a large spoonful of ice cream  
  
in his mouth. "Let her offer," he mumbled as he chewed.  
  
"Lisa broke up with you?" Andrew asked in surprise. "Oh man! I feel so bad for you! But  
  
don't worry, once this whole thing is over, you'll have her back in no time," he consoled as he  
  
patted his friend on the back.  
  
"No smart one!" Steven yelled. "That's just what he's going to tell Nicole so she feels  
  
bad for him! Duh!"   
  
"Yeah," Jason agreed. "And appearently there's this journal she has that everyone wants to  
  
get their hands on, but she won't let anyone read." he said as he took a sip of his vanilla   
  
milkshake.   
  
"Awesome!" Steven exclaimed.  
  
~~~Back at the Newsroom~~~  
  
  
  
"So you'll go to this girl and tell her about how your girlfirend broke up with you and   
  
blah, blah , blah. You'll do what we talked about and then when the time is rite, you'll get the  
  
journal! But you have to make her beleive that you've fallen in love with her or it won't work!"  
  
Steven explained as he paced around the table.  
  
Jason looked down as he thought about it. "Yeah, I think I can pull it off."  
  
"Of course you can! You're performance this afternoon was totally believable. You had her   
  
hooked from the moment you walked into her!" Andrew marveled at his friend's superb performance  
  
in the hallway. "You had perfect timing! You'll definetly be able to do it! She won't know what  
  
hit her!"  
  
"Are you sure this is right?" Dan cut in. "You might really hurt her. Besides, you  
  
really do have a girlfriend, remember? What if she finds out? You haven't even told her yet have  
  
you?"  
  
Before Jason could even open his mouth, Steven answered for him. "Yeah, well, we'll just  
  
explain to her that it's not real. And besides, what do you know? You're a computer genious.  
  
Shouldn't you be thinking about how to fix our printer or something?" Steven rudely suggested.  
  
Dan didn't take him seriously, however. He knew that when Steven and Jason got involved in a   
  
story, they turned into different people. They were like maniacs or rabid animals. He knew  
  
that they didn't really mean it. He just shook his head and turned his attention back to his  
  
computer.  
  
"I also heard that she's first in line for the lead role of Satine in the  
  
school production of Moulin Rouge. She loves acting," someone else offered.  
  
"They are actually letting us do Moulin Rouge? Isn't that about hookers?" Dan asked.  
  
"Well, it's more about Love really, but there are hookers in it... which is why they  
  
revised script and made it, uh, clean. Satine will still be a corteasan, but they won't show  
  
anything. And there will be this narrator explaining the under lying principles in certain parts  
  
of the play, or at least that's what Mr. Johnson said," the girl answered.  
  
"Does Satine still die?" Andrew wanted to know. "I hope not. That part was so sad. I cried   
  
the whole last part," he said. Everyone stared at him. "What??? It wasn't my fault. My sister made  
  
me watch it," he complained.   
  
"I know how you feel," Jason agreed.  
  
"Isn't Moulin Rouge a musical?" another person asked.  
  
"Yeah," another answered.  
  
"Great! You'll just have to get the part of Christian then," Steven decided as he turned  
  
toward Jason. "And I can make that happen. I have an "in" with the director. Dust of your   
  
dancing shoes Jason! You're---"  
  
"WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! HOLD ON!" Jason interupted. "There is no way that I am getting up on  
  
stage and DANCING in front of PEOPLE! NO WAY!"  
  
"Oh come on Jay, you have a great voice! And besides, you look just like him," Andrew  
  
atempted to convince him.  
  
"No I don't," Jason disagreed.  
  
"Yeah you do," everyone in the room answered in unison.  
  
"NO I DON'T!" He yelled.  
  
"Yeah you do," Steven said as he reached into his desk to pull out a poster from the  
  
movie. He held it up to Jason's face and compared. There was no denying it, he did look like  
  
a carbon copy of Ewan McGregor, just about 20 years younger.   
  
"Same eyes, Same hair, same mole," Steven poked at Jason's face. Jason smacked it away and  
  
stood up.  
  
"Where? You're making that up!" he accused.  
  
"OK, so maybe I am making that last part up. But you do look like exactly like him,"  
  
Jason gave him a look. "Except for the mole."  
  
"And besides, you said it yourself. A common interest is just another thing to ensure you'll  
  
have her hooked the whole way through," Andrew reminded him.  
  
"Yeah, but this is different. First of all, I'm not even going to ask WHY you had that  
  
in your desk. Two-- I REFUSE!" Jason crossed his arms in rebellion as he sat back down.  
  
Steven started to do the puppy dog pout.  
  
"No! Don't do that! I hate when you do that! NO! NO! NO!" Jason resisted.  
  
"Please," he whined. "Please!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!! For me, your best friend," his face   
  
was almost to pitiful to refuse. Almost.  
  
"NO! NO! I won't do it," Jason wasn't going to give in this time.  
  
"Fine. But this means you're going to have to work extra hard to get close to her. Which  
  
brings me to our next topic, kissing," Steven went on.  
  
"What? I don't recall ever saying I'd kiss her!" Jason was appalled.   
  
"YOU HAVE TO! How else did you think you were going to convince her that you were in love with  
  
her?"  
  
"Well... I... I dunno... I just----" Jason stuttered. He hadn't really thought about that  
  
yet.  
  
"You can't do that if you don't kiss her! DUH!" Steven yelled in frustration. Duh! It was  
  
so obvious.  
  
"But--I---,"  
  
"It's either the Play or you kiss her," Steven offered. "You have a choice."  
  
Jason thought about it. Five minutes later, he spoke.  
  
"Fine, There's no way I'm doing the play, so you can just forget about it. I guess I'll--  
  
I'll--- KISS her," he managed to spit out. "But I'm only doing it when necissary," he gave in.  
  
"That's all I ask," Steven said as he kicked back with a satisfied smile on his face. "You  
  
won't regret this."  
  
"Yes I will," Jason sighed. He knew he would. 


	8. My Guy

"Well, the deed is done," Nicole sighed as she sat down with her friends at their regular  
  
table the next day at lunch. "Tad and Christine are back together. I'm free, and I have 30 more  
  
bucks than I had 2 weeks ago. Hmmm... Life is good...life is definetly good."  
  
"Well we're glad." Stephanie replied. "Because now you can get together with the cutie from  
  
yesterday."  
  
"Yeah," Ally agreed. "He was cute. If he wasn't your guy, I'd take him."  
  
"Wait, what? Branch boy from yesterday?" Nicole asked, extremely confused.  
  
"Branch boy? Is that what you call your future prom king?" Stephanie marveled as if it  
  
was disrespectful.  
  
"Yeah, on account of we never found out what his name was," Ally replied as she brought a  
  
soup filled spoon to her lips and slurped.  
  
"You guys are unbelievable. He is not my guy. I haven't even known the kid for a full 24  
  
hours yet!" Nicole defended herself.  
  
"Yeah, but you two would look so cute together," Stephanie sighed. "It's so romantic. It   
  
would make such a great movie, don't you think? Two star-crossed lovers meet in a collision of  
  
fate," she said dramaticly. "They were destined to be together, but the world wanted them apart."  
  
"Star crossed? Collision of fate? What are you nuts? We met in the hallway after we collided  
  
into each other, there's no romantic entanglement," Nicole said in disbeleif of her friend's   
  
comment.  
  
"Besides Steph, I think they already made that movie. They called it Romeo and Juliet,"   
  
Ally laughed.  
  
"Plus, I'm not interested unless he pays," Nicole said taking a sip of her drink.  
  
"Oh come on Nicole! You two are perfect for each other! Didn't you see how much you two  
  
have in common?"  
  
"Yeah, She's human, he's human- where do the similarties end?" Ally replied sarcasticly.  
  
"We both like Michelle Branch, big woop," Nicole answered.   
  
"Well, I still say you should give him a chance," Stephany went on.  
  
"Speaking of which..." Ally said as she looked away. Stephanie and Ally had no idea what  
  
she was doing until they saw Branch-boy walking towards their table that very moment.  
  
************************  
  
Jason walked through the croud approaching Nicole's table. 'Strange,' he thought. 'She's  
  
only a freshman and she already has her own table.' All the enthusiasm he had formally possessed  
  
in regard to his story was gone. He didn't feel so high-and-mighty anymore. He just felt like  
  
a little boy who wanted his mommy. It had seemed so easy before; he had been so excited about it.  
  
But now it felt more like a chore. He didn't question his ability to give a high quality   
  
performance, but he did question how far it would go. But he'd have to wait for that answer-  
  
he was at the table now. 


	9. Ground Zero

            "Hi Nicole!" was all Jason could spit out as he stood at her table. He felt sick to his stomach. Steven had called the table "Ground Zero" when they mapped out the plan. It was strange, he thought, the way they could plan and plan for these things, but they couldn't plan on what to say. Maybe they didn't have so much control over this situation as they thought. He would later find out the true reality of this statement, but right now, he had a job to do.

            "Hi," he realized was all she could reply, on account of he had never given her his name. When she spoke, he calmed down a bit. She seemed so familiar, like a person he saw everyday, and yet was as mysterious as a complete stranger. He hadn't realized until now, but he needed to keep his real identity a secret, for now anyway, just in case he had met her before. Another thing he hadn't planned on.

            "And how are you doing today?" he asked. Gosh. This was so fake. People don't really talk like this. 

            "Oh, I'm doing Ok I guess, I've been better, and I'm sure I've looked better too…" she trailed off, now becoming self-conscious of her messy curly blonde hair and favorite but not exactly "Chic" athletic pants. 'Wal-Mart, 10.50,' she thought.

            "Just Ok?" he asked with a less-than-authentic surprise. Yet very convincing. Eyes wide, raised eyebrows; yeah, he had done this before. "You look very nice to me, Nicole. In fact, you look down right smashing, I think. But then again, you always look positively radiant to me." Smashing? Positively? Those were Steven's. But who was he? Prince Charles? 'Note to self, 1. Eliminate 'smashing' and 'positively' from vocabulary. 2. Fire Steven and find a new writer.' He thought to himself.

            She blushed. "Oh, uh, well Thank you, I'm flattered," she replied. She thought his way of talking was a bit strange, but who was she to judge? No one, she thought. Besides, the way he looked into her eyes made her feel, well… Positively Smashing.

            Jason stared at Nicole. 'Wow,' he thought. 'She _is_ beautiful.' She slowly looked up and stared directly back in to his eyes. After a couple seconds, he snapped out of this. This he hadn't planned. "I'm so sorry, how rude of me. My apologies," he said with a repentant expression.

            "Oh, no, don't be. It's really alright…uh…" She hesitated. She then realized something- she had never caught his name.

            As if he had read her mind, he finished her sentence. "Oh, my apologies again! I can't believe I didn't give you my name. How stupid of me! My name is um… Jay!" he spat out. Wow. Really original. "Well, that's not my real name, but that's what my friends call me. It's an acronym… well, sorta." It was, in a way. His name was Jason Alexander Erickson, so that sort of spelled JAY. "Well it really spells JAE, and it doesn't really stand for something like SCUBA stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, and not Something's Creeping Under Boat Alice, but it's close enough." The girls were staring at him. "Oh sorry, I'm rambling again." He blushed. He had gotten that from an episode of Boy Meets World, one of his favorite cancelled TV show of all time. Great wording and literary skills he had not, but the girls laughed, so it was OK. Besides, he was more of a math sort of guy anyway. 

            He was lucky that Nicole's mother had always told her not ask to many questions or to pry, "because if someone really wanted you to know, they'd tell you," she had said, so Nicole didn't ask what it stood for.

            "It's really Ok. So, are you going to get the new Michelle Branch CD?" Nicole asked.

            "Michelle Branch CD?" he was confused. Uh-oh. This can't be good.

            "Yeah, didn't you hear? It's coming out tomorrow," she informed him.

A couple seconds went by. "Ohhh! I remember now! Yes I did hear that," he pretended to realize even though he hadn't the slightest clue as to what she was talking about. "I'm not sure, I don't want to go by myself…" he said intentionally trailing off while looking down at his feet. "Guys need to show their innocent boyish side too," he had overheard his sister say on the phone once.

            "Well you can come with us!" Ally spat out before Nicole had the chance to let it go.

            "Yeah! Great idea!" Stephanie agreed. "We're going after school tomorrow. You could catch a ride with us after drama class, if you don't mind waiting."

            "Yeah, or you could sit in and watch. I'm sure Mr. Brookfield wouldn't mind," Ally suggested.

            "I'm not sure," Nicole hesitated. She wasn't sure she wanted a really cute boy watching her play someone else, but she couldn't let them know that. "I mean I'm sure Jay doesn't want to wait around for us. It would probably be so boring for him." She said as she looked at her friends to agree. 'Nice save,' she thought. But he surprised her.

            'Common interests,' he thought. "Oh no, quite the contrary," he quickly replied. "I'd love to watch, that is if it's ok with you, Nicole," he looked at her for approval. 

            "Well, I don't…" Nicole started but was quickly cut off by Ally and Steph. 

            "Excuse us Jay, could we have _A WORD WITH NICOLE PLEASE_?" Stephanie stressed as she as she stared in Nicole's direction. Ally and Stephanie's eyes seemed to bore holes into Nicole.

            "Sure, go ahead. Be my guest." He said politely. Steph flashed a smile then turned and dragged Nicole away from the table.          

            "ARE YOU NUTS???" Steph quietly scolded. "He is the cutest boy in our entire grade and he's interested in _YOU_!

You cannot possibly turn him down!"

            "But!"

            "But nothing!" Ally retorted. 

            "BUT!" Nicole objected again.

            "But WHAT?" they asked in frustration.

            "But- But he'll be watching me and I… I…"

            "Nicole, you HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT! You're a great actress! And besides, if you're going to play the lead role in the school play, you better get used to people watching you! Now go back there and SAY YES! Alright?"

            Nicole's face was stone so the girls both put on their best puppy dog pouts, known to break even the toughest parent. After a minute passed she broke.

            "Fine! But don't expect me to get all buddy-buddy with him," she warned as she headed back toward the table.

            "That's all we ask," they said with smirks and followed. When they got back, Jay was still waiting.

            "Yeah, so it's settled, you're coming with us at 4:30." Stephanie said as she sat back down. 

            "Great, but are you sure its ok?" He asked one more time, just to make sure.

            "Nicole?" Ally and Stephanie turned and said in unison.

            "Uh, yeah, it's fine." Nicole said, even though she didn't think it would be.

            "Great! Well, I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow," he said. "Bye," he waved to Steph and Ally. "Bye Nicole," he said in a more dreamy voice. He turned and left. A minute went by, and as soon as he was surely gone, a high pitched squeal escaped from Ally's lips.

            "HE IS SO CUTE!" she exclaimed as she leaned back, almost falling off the bench.

            "WHAT A DREAM!" Stephanie squealed.

            "Yeah…" Nicole mumbled, but she really didn't mean it. She still wasn't sure about the acting, but that wasn't the problem. Something else was happening… something she hadn't expected…


	10. A true Femme Fatale

            Steven entered the news-room with the others wide eyed and open mouthed.

            "You are magnificent! Awesome! Brilliant! I bask in your greatness," he reeled on. Of course the crew had been watching the entire lunch room act, from a safe distance of course. "How do you do that?" he marveled.

            "It was no big deal," Jason replied modestly.

            "No big deal? NO BIG DEAL? Are you nuts? We are doing great! That whole come-with-us-to- drama-club-and-buy-that-CD was totally unplanned, and you once again NAILED the performance! I couldn't ask for greater! And that whole innocent-boyish thing was perfect! If you didn't have her before, you definitely have her now," Steven couldn't be happier.

            "Ah, really man, it was nothing. I've had to sit with my sister through countless chick-flicks over the years, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's how to deal with women," Jason leaned back in his chair and put his feet up as he took a sip of his Coke. His High-and-Mighty persona was evident to everyone in the room. 

            "Well, lets hope that your master skills with girls are as great as you say, because here comes Lisa, and she doesn't look to happy," Dan warned as Lisa was about to walk in the room. Jason's feet dropped off the table, his eyes grew wide, and his soda went out of his mouth- all over Dan's face. Dan wiped his face off with his hand. 'Sorry,' Jason mouthed as Lisa walked through the door.

            "Hi guys," she greeted.

            "Hi Lisa," the guys replied in unison, except for Jason.

            "Hi Jason," she turned to him. She always called him Jay, so he knew he was in trouble when she called him by his full name. 

            "Hi Lisa," he replied with his head down in a childish condemnation.

            "So what were you and that girl talking about at lunch?" she inquired.

            "Oh, that?" Jason replied as if it was nothing.

            "Yes, that," she said.

            "Oh well…" he started to say.

            "Well, uh, Jason ran into her a yesterday," Steven, Dan, and Andrew tried to reply at once. No, it wasn't obvious they were hiding something…not.

            "Literally," Andrew mumbled. Steven elbowed him. 'Ow,' he grumbled.

            "And, uh, he got her book by mistake, and, uh, Jason?" they turned to him.

            "Yeah, and I was just giving it back to her, I was only being nice." he finished.

            "Are you sure?" She leaned closer. 

            "Of course," Jason leaned back farther.

            "But then how come…" she turned to Dan and noticed him wiping off his glasses with his soda stained shirt. "Weird," she mumbled. She seemed to have forgotten about Jason for a second, they all noticed. But they didn't have that much luck.

            "Anyway, are you sure nothing was going on?" she turned to Jason again.

            "Of course I'm sure," he replied. "Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?" he put on an innocent look and that was enough to convince her.

            "No. That's sweet that you took the time to talk to her. You probably made her day," her tone was sweetly.

            "More than you'd know," Andrew mumbled. Steven kicked him. Andrew winced. Lisa pretended that she didn't hear it.

            "I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" Jason nodded and she leaned in and kissed him.

            As soon as she left, the boys let out a huge sigh of relief. "Saved by the smile, once again," Dan shook his head.

"Why do you go out with her?" Steven asked in wonder.

            "Yeah, I mean, she sounds like my mom," Andrew added.

            "You don't kiss your mom," Steven replied.

            "Oh, gross!" Disgusted looks swept their faces. 

            "Alright, let's get off this subject."

            "Thank you!" 

            "Yeah. Alright. On to business. What are you going to do for two hours tomorrow?" Steven asked Jason.

            "I have no idea," he answered. "But one thing's for sure. There's no way I'm letting Lisa know what I'm up to. If this thing is going to work, she cannot know about it, alright?"

            "Absolutely. Besides, there is no way I want her mad. She's scary," Andrew shivered. 

            "You can say that again. Did you see the look she gave Dan? Cr-eep-y," Steven added.

            "So it's settled. Lisa does not find out. Understood?"

            The boys shook their heads in agreement. 

            "If she finds out, she'll have our heads for this." Jason assured them. It didn't seem that assuring.

            "A true-femme fatale," Andrew finished.


	11. The Substitute

The day went by slower than usual as Jason pondered what he had gotten himself into. The teacher's voice droned on and on in the back round as his mind trailed off. No one cared to pay attention- after all, it was 8th period. Freedom was only a couple minutes away, at least for everyone else. As soon as the last bell rang, Jason would be in the hands of three teenage girls- a situation that could mean death if not properly prepared. 'All I have to do is sit there and watch them act,' he thought. 'No biggie. Then we'll go buy a CD. That's all. No reason to worry…' His thoughts were cut off by the bell. Thank God. Mr. Bell was just about to get into Nuclear Physics. Jason took a deep breath as he exited the room. 'Steve owes me big,' he thought. Of course he knew that as soon as his performance was over, Steven and the crew would emerge from behind some random corner, seemingly out of nowhere, ranting and raving about Jason's superb acting skills. They always did that. It was sort of scary sometimes.

Jason placed his physics book in his locker and walked toward the drama room. He walked like a prisoner about to be handed over to the executioner, but as soon as he appeared in the doorway, his expression turned bright and excited.

"Hey Jay!" Stephanie and Ally gleamed.

"Hey Stephanie. Hey Ally. Hi Mr. Brookfeild," he greeted.

"Hello Jay," Mr. Brookfeild welcomed. "The girls told me you would be sitting in today. Take a seat. We're glad to have you."

The rest of the class began to file in--- a good portion of them girls--- and took their seats. Jason recognized many of the kids and silently searched for Nicole's face amongst the small crowd of kids. He didn't see her though, and was becoming impatient. To be honest, he didn't want to spend any more time in there then he had to. He started to tap his foot eagerly until he saw Nicole enter the doorway. She was radiant as usual and smiled shyly at Jason before taking her seat next to Stephanie and Ally.

"Go sit next to him!" Stephanie whispered to Nicole.

"Why? No! He'll think I'm weird!" Nicole protested.

"You are weird Nicole," Stephanie replied and turned her attention back to the teacher.

"Great- Now that everyone is here, please take out the scripts I gave you last week- we left off on page 5," Mr. Brookfeild instructed them.

"What play are we doing?" Jay whispered to Ally.

"A knock-off spin-off thing of Moulin Rouge…clean of course," she replied.

"Great…" he thought to himself.

"Nicole, why don't you and… hold on—where is Brandon?" the teacher asked confusedly. Brandon Talbot had the lead for Christian but was mysteriously missing. The students turned around and looked for him but was no where to be found.

"Why do I have a feeling that Steven had something to do with this?" Jason thought. "That's right—because he probably did."

"Um- Ok- the show will go on--- Jay! Why don't you read for Brandon?" Mr. Brookfeild suggested unexpectedly.

"ME?" he asked—very surprised.

"HIM?" Nicole asked just as surprised as Jason.

"Why not?" he asked.

"YEAH NICOLE—WHY NOT?" Stephanie and Ally said directing their mischievous grins at their friend.

"Um—well I guess I could…" Jason said as Ally and Steph dragged him to the front of the room.

Mr. Brookfeild handed him a script and told him where to start. "Act 2: Scene 3—Christian and Satine share their first dance—take it away."

Jason and Nicole unsurely moved closer together as Ally and Stephanie obviously got a kick out of it.

**Mr. Brookfeild- ZIDLER:**   
(Watching from afar from a poor vantage point as Satine and Christian dance.)   
That Duke certainly can dance!

**Nicole-SATINE:**   
(Dancing with a slightly more comfortable Christian.)   
It's so wonderful of you to take an interest in our little show.

**Jason-CHRISTIAN:**   
Well, it sounds very exciting. I'd be delighted to be involved.

**_(Yeah right. Wouldn't Steven be delighted if this was real life?) Jason thought to himself._**__

**SATINE:**   
Really!?

**CHRISTIAN:**   
Assuming you like what I do, of course.

**SATINE:**   
I'm sure I will!

**_(I hope this isn't a sign.) Nicole said to herself._**

(Everyone dancing as Christian tips his hat to the seated Bohos who encouragingly tip back..)

**Class-CROWD:**   
HERE WE ARE NOW

**CHRISTIAN:**   
Toulouse thought we might be able to, um... (Dips her) …do it in private.

**_(Yeah—Ok.)_**

**SATINE:**   
Did he?

**_(I hope not.)_**

**CROWD:**   
HERE WE ARE NOW

**_(I bet Stephanie and Ally are getting a complete kick out of this.)_**

**CHRISTIAN:**   
Yes, you know, a…a private… (dips her again) …poetry reading.

**(_Ha. Poetry.)_**__

**CROWD:**   
ENTERTAIN US

**_"They already are," laughed Stephanie and Ally._**

**SATINE:**   
Ohhh…

**_(Ohhh…)_**

**CROWD:**   
HERE WE ARE NOW, ENTERTAIN US

**SATINE:**   
A poetry reading…oh, I love a little poetry after supper.   
(Grabs at him a little.)

**_(This is disgusting. I'm talking to Mr. Brookfeild about this. Well, at least he's cute.)_**

**CROWD:**   
HERE WE ARE NOW, ENTERTAIN US   
HERE WE ARE NOW, ENTERTAIN US

**_Stephanie and Ally laugh harder._**__

**SATINE:**   
(Giving a big kick.) Take off your hats…

Later On At the Music Store…

Stephanie, Ally, Nicole and Jason walked into Borders after drama class laughing hysterically. Well, at least Stephanie and Ally were.

"That was great!" Ally exclaimed.

"Jay! I didn't know you could act! You were great! You should try out for real! You were much better than that Brandon kid." Stephanie said and Ally agreed. "Right Nicole?"

"Oh, uh, Yeah… You should definitely try out." She replied although she didn't mean it.

"Of course he should! Ooh! YM! Come on Al!" Stephanie and Ally ran over to the magazine rack.

Nicole and Jason just stood their. They laughed a little, not knowing what to say.

"That was some class, huh?" Jason said with a smile.

"Yeah… You were really good," Nicole replied shyly.

"Thanks… I was a little embarrassed though."

"Oh, you don't need to be. You're a good dancer by the way."

"Haha. My sister used to make me dance with her all the time. I guess it came in handy," he laughed as he picked up a YellowCard c.d.

"Yeah—I don't have any sisters but I do----"

Nicole was cut off by a strange noise.

"Pssssssttt…"

"Did you hear that?" she asked Jason.

"Pssssssssttttt…"

"There it is again!" she annoyed. "What is that?"

"Psssssttt…Jason!….Over here!" Jason turned around to see the whole gang hiding behind a big rack of cd's. Steven was motioning for him to come over. "I should have expected this…" Jason thought to himself.

"Ummm… I'll be right back. Uh—Don't move." He said as he snuck over.

"Ok…" she said and began to look at some Cd's.

"What are you doing here????" Jason asked irritated.

"We came to check up on you. Great performance by the way." Steven said. "Oooh! YellowCard!"

"You saw that?"

"Yeah! Of course we did," he said, taking the Cd out of Jason's hand. "Who did you think got the Brandon kid to drop out? Man… you offer someone $10 and a peanut butter twix and he'll do anything for ya," Steven marveled.

"Well—don't do it again- I already told you I wasn't going to audition and you need to.."

"Jay?? Who are you talking to??" Nicole called.

"Uh, no one! I'll be right there." He called back. "I'll see you guys tomorrow," he whispered. "And gimme that!" he grabbed the cd back.

"Gease… he must be in a bad mood." Andrew remarked.

"Really? Ya think?" Dan said sarcastically. "Really, guys, I think it would be better if we just ended this thing now instead of— "

"Did anyone ask you?" Steven cut him off. "Come on guys, let's go. And Andrew-"

"Yeah?"

"Get off my leg."

"Ooops…sorry."

Sorry for the long wait! Script courtesy of Moulin Goldmine (altered by me lol).


End file.
